Wheels Classic Cars: Ford Thunderbird (two-seaters) 1955-1957

The sports cars that England began exporting to Canada and the United States following the Second World War were strictly for having fun. Their flimsy canvas tops didn't offer much weather protection, trunk space was limited and rides were harsh. But slick-shifting four-speed transmissions, precise steering, knock-off wire spoke wheels, cut down doors and folding windshields offered a new kind of driving thrill that quickly built a small but enthusiastic following.

There had been much earlier American sports cars like Stutz Bearcats, Mercer Raceabouts and Auburn Boattail Speedsters but they were too expensive to become very popular. It was those affordable little English roadsters like MGs and Triumphs that lit our sports car fire.

Smaller American auto manufacturers picked up the trend first. Crosley Motors of Cincinnati, Ohio, introduced its tiny Hotshot in 1949. Nash Motor Co. of Kenosha, Wis., was next in 1951 with its lovely but expensive Anglo-American hybrid Nash-Healey.

The first of the Big Three with a post-war sportster was General Motors with its 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. But it was a tentative step and GM made only 300 1953s and fitted them with a decidedly unsporty two-speed automatic transmission.

Ford’s response took a different tack. Whereas the fibreglass-bodied Corvette was totally different from anything else in the model line, although based on Chevrolet sedan components, Ford's steel-bodied Thunderbird was more like a cut-down full-size Ford.

Corvette emulated foreign sports cars by having drafty side curtains and a basic fabric top. Ford called its new T-Bird a 'personal car,' and gave it wind-up windows and the amenities of its full-size siblings. While the Corvette had individual bucket seats, the Thunderbird was fitted with a bench type, and could be had with a hard or soft top.

The Thunderbird’s use of many existing parts resulted in a strong Ford family identity. The horizontal fender line was characteristic of the redesigned full-size '55 Fords, and headlamps and taillamps were drawn from Ford sedans. Inside, the T-bird instrument panel and hardware resembled those of big Fords.

Ford's new two-seater was introduced as a '55 model and became an immediate success. Whereas Chevrolet sold only 700 1955 Corvettes, even though it now had the sensational new Chevy overhead valve V-8, Ford sold 16,155 Thunderbirds. In fact Corvette sales were so dismal General Motors was on the verge of discontinuing it, but the T-Bird’s introduction and Chevrolet’s enthusiastic general manager Ed Cole convinced them to keep it.

A performance comparison with the '55 Corvette V-8 found the T-bird a little slower. Road & Track (7/55) reported that the Corvette, in spite of its "Powerglide" automatic, sprinted to 96 km/h (60 mph) in a quick 8.7 seconds and reached a top speed of 188 km/h (116.9 mph). The T-Bird with automativ (8/56) took 9.5 seconds to 96 (60) and topped out at 181 km/h (112.2 mph). A good part of this was due to the T-BIrd's extra 313 kg (690 lb).

The Thunderbird was carried into 1956 with the same body, although it gained some luggage space by mounting the spare tire externally "Continental" style. A larger 5.1 litre (312 cu in.) optional V-8 developed 215 horsepower with manual transmission and 225 with automatic. Cowl vents were added for better cabin ventilation.

The basic theme remained for 1957 but again with some changes. There was a new combination grille and bumper and the trunk was stretched five inches, allowing the spare tire to migrate back inside, although the Continental mounting was still optional. In keeping with Detroit's fin craze, small canted blades sprouted from each rear fender.

The bigger news was under the hood. The 5.1-litre V-8 could now be had with a Paxton-McCulloch, belt-driven centrifugal supercharger, bringing horsepower to 300. But supercharged 'Birds would prove to be very rare; only 208 were produced.

Power for the base 4.8 litre engine was increased to 212 and the normally aspirated 5.1 developed 245, although a few modified versions put out more.

Although 1955 was a good year with 21,380 '57 Thunderbirds sales, it would be the last of the original two-seaters (Ford revived it in 2002). Ford Division's austere general manager, Robert McNamara, one of the post-Second World War 'Whiz Kids' hired by Henry Ford II to save the company, decided there was more profit in four-passenger Thunderbirds. In so doing it left the American sports car field to the Corvette.

McNamara proved correct. Larger 'personal luxury' Thunderbirds did earn far more money for Ford than the Corvette did for GM, but two-seater T-bird aficionados never forgave him. Those two-seater Thunderbirds are now popular collectibles, particularly supercharged models.